ALT 0223 = ß ALT 0252 = ü ALT 0214 = Ö

ALT 0228 = ä ALT 0196 = Ä ALT 0220 = Ü

ALT 0246 = ö

Nouns
A noun is a naming word for a living being, thing, or idea. German nouns change according to
their gender, case, number – called declension.

Using Nouns
In German, nouns are either masculine, feminine, or neuter. This is their gender. They are
always written with a capital letter. Nouns’ genders need to be known because it affects the:
 Adjectives that describe it
 Articles that go before it
 Pronouns that replace it
Indicators:
 Der – masculine noun
 Die – feminine noun
 Das – neuter noun
The articles of nouns also change once they become plural. Adjectives and pronouns are also
affected by whether a noun is singular or plural.

Gender
a. Masculine nouns
Nouns referring to male people and animals
der Mann man
der Löwe (male) lion

Seasons, months, days of the week, weather, and points of the compass
der Sommer summer
der August August
der Freitag Friday
der Wind Wind
der Norden North

Most nouns referring to things that perform an action

der Wecker alarm clock
der Computer computer

German nouns taken from other languages and ending in -ant, =ast, ismus, -or
der Trabant satellite
der Ballast ballast
der Kapitalismus capitalism
der Tresor safe
Nouns with the following endings
Masculine ending Example Meaning
-ich der Teppich Carpet
-ig der Essig Vinegar
-ling der Frühling Spring

b. Feminine nouns
Most nouns ending in -e
die Falte crease, wrinkle
die Brücke bridge
Note: male people or animals ending in -e are masculine, while nouns beginning with Ge- and
ending in -e are usually neuter.

Nouns with the following endings:

Feminine ending Example Meaning
-heit die Schönheit Beauty
-keit die Sehenswürdigkeit Sight
-schaft die Gewerkschaft Trade union
-ung die Zeitung Newspaper
-ei die Bäckerei Bakery

German nouns from other languages and ending in -anz, -enz, ie, ik, ion, -tät, -ur (with
exceptions)
die Distanz distance BUT: der Kranz wreath
die Konkurrenz rivalry
die Theorie theory BUT: das Knie knee
die Panik panic BUT: der Pazifik Pacific
die Union union BUT: der Spion spy
die Elektrizität electricity
die Temperatur temperature BUT: das Abitur exam

Numbers used in counting

Er hat eine Drei gekriegt. He got a three.

Masculine German nouns can be made feminine by adding -in for singular and -innen for plural
der Lehrer (male) teacher
die Lehrerin (female) teacher
Lehrer und Lehrerinnen (male and female) teachers

Some German adjectives are used as feminine nouns. They have feminine adjective endings
which change according to the article coming before them.
eine Deutsche a German woman
die Abgeordnette the female MP
c. Neuter nouns
Most nouns beginning with Ge-
das Geschirr crockery, dishes
das Geschöpf creature
das Getreide crop

Nouns ending in -lein/-chen, aka diminutive form and refer to small persons and objects
-lein das Kindlein little child
-chen das Häuschen little house
If these words have one of the vowels (a, o, u), an umlaut is added. The final -e is also dropped
before the endings.
der Bach Bäch das Bächlein (small) stream
die Katze Kätz das Kätzchen kitten

Fractions
ein Dritten davon a third of it

Nouns that refer to young humans and animals

das Baby baby
das Kind child
das Kalb calf
das Lamm lamb
Note: animals themselves can be any gender

Infinitives used as nouns

das Schwimmen swimming
das Spielen playing
das Radfahren cycling

Nouns with the following endings

Neuter ending Example Meaning
-nis das Ereignis Event
-tum das Eigentum property

German nouns taken from other languages and ending in -at, -ett, -fon, -ma, -ment, -um
das Reservat reservation
das Tablett tray
das Telefon phone
das Thema subject, topic
das Medikament drug
das Ultimatum ultimatum BUT: der Reichtum wealth
das Studium studies

d. Compound nouns
Compound nouns are nouns made up of two or more words. In German, they nearly always
take their gender from the LAST noun of the compound word.
 die Armbanduhr (Armband + die Uhr) wristwatch
der Tomatensalat (Tomaten + der Salat) tomato salad
der Fußballspieler (Fußball + der Spieler) footballer

Note: some German nouns have more than one gender. A few have two and sometimes one of
them can only be used in certain regions.
der/das Marzipan marzipan (der Marzipan is used in Austria)
der/das Keks biscuit (das Keks is used in Austria)
der/das Kaugummi chewing gum

Other nouns have two genders and the meaning of the word changes depending on the
gender.
der Band volume, book
das Band ribbon, band, tape, bond
der See lake
die See sea
der Leiter leader, manager
die Leiter ladder

In German, abbreviations have the same gender as the word they come from.
die BRD the Federal Republic of Germany (from die Bundesrepublik Deutschland)
die DB the German Railways (from die Deutsche Bahn)
das ZDF German TV channel (from das Zweite Deutsche Fernsehen)

The cases
The case used depends on the grammatical function of the noun in a sentence.

a. Nominative Case
 Basic form of the noun and what is found in the dictionary

The nominative case is used for:

 Subject of the sentence – person, animal, thing doing the action
Das Mädchen singt. The girl is singing.
Die Katze schläft. The cat is sleeping.
 After the verbs sein (to be) and warden (to become)
Er ist ein gutter Lehrer. He is a good teacher.
Das wird ein Pullover. It’s going to be a jumper.

b. Accusative Case
 Article for feminine and neuter nouns have the same form as nominative
 Der for masculine nouns changes to den and ein to einen

This is used:
 To show the direct object of a verb – person, animal, thing affected by the action of
the verb
Ich sehe den Hund. What do I see? der Hund
 Er hat ein Lied gesungen. What did he sing? ein Lied
 After certain prepositions (such as at, for, with, into, from) which are always used
with the accusative
Es ist für seine Freundin. It’s for his girlfriend.
 After certain prepositions of place when movement is involved
an on, to, at
auf on, in, to, at
hinter behind
in in, into, to
neben next to, beside
über over, across, above
unter under, among
vor in front of, before
zwischen between

Sie legten ein Brett über das Loch.

When there is no movement involved after the prepositions, the dative case is used.
Sie geht in die Stadt. She’s going into town.
(accusative)
Er war in der Stadt. (dative) He was in town.
 In many expressions of time and place which do not have a preposition
Das macht sie jeden Donnerstag. She does that every Thursday.
 In some set expressions
Guten Abend! Good evening!
Vielen Dank! Thank you very much!

c. Genitive Case
Der for masculine nouns and das for neuter nouns change to des. Ein changes to eines. The
endings of masculine and neuter singular nouns also change.
 -s is added to masculine and neuter nouns ending in -en, -el, er.
der Wagen des Rauchens
das Rauchen des Esels
der Esel des Computers
des Wagens
 -es is added to most masculine and neuter nouns of one syllable ending in a
consonant.
der Freund des Freundes
der Mann des Mannes
der Sitz des Sitzes
der Arzt des Arztes
der Tisch des Tisches
das Schloss des Schlosses
 Die changes to der and eine to einer. Endings of feminine singular nouns remain the
same as nominative.
die Ärztin to der Ärztin
This case is used:
 To show that something belongs to someone
Das Auto der Frau war rot. The woman’s car was red.
 After certain prepositions which always take the genitive
Wegen des schlechten Wetters We’ll have to go home because
müssen wir nach Hause gehen. of the bad weather.
 In some expressions of time
eines Tages one day

d. Dative Case
Der changes to dem and ein changes to einem. Singular nouns have the same form as
nominative.
dem Auto to the car
dem Mädchen to the girl
Die changes to changes to der and eine to einer.
Case Masculine Feminine Neuter
Nominative der Wagen die Dose das Lied
ein Wagen eine Dose ein Lied
Accusative den Wagen die Dose das Lied
einen Wagen eine Dose ein Lied
Genitive des Wagens der Dose des Lieds
eines Wagens einer Dose eines Lieds
Dative dem Wagen der Dose dem Lied
einem Eagen einer Dose einem Lied

 -e is added to some nouns in certain set phrases

Wir gehen nach Hause. We’re going home.
NOTE: -e may also be added to the dative singular of masculine and neuter nouns to
make the phrase easier to pronounce.

This case is used:

 To show the indirect object of a verb (answers the question who to/for? Or to/for
what?)
Er gab dem Mann das Buch. He gave the man the book.
 After certain verbs
Er hilft seiner Mutter im Haushalt. He helps his mother with the housework.
 After certain prepositions which always take the dative
Nach dem Essen gingen wir spazieren. After eating, we went for a walk.
Er kam mit einer Freundin. He came with a friend.
 After certain prepositions to show position
an on, to, at
auf on, in, to, at
hinter behind
in in, into, to
neben next to, beside
über over, across, above
 unter under, among
vor in front of, before
zwischen between

When there is some movement involved after these prepositions, the accusative
case is used.
Sie geht in die Stadt. She’s going into town.
(accusative) He was in town.
Er war in der Stadt. (dative)

 In certain expressions
Mir ist kalt. I’m cold.
 Instead of the possessive adjectives (my, your, his, her, its, our, their) to refer to
parts of the body and items of clothing
Ich habe mir die Haare I washed my hair.
gewaschen.
Zieh dir die Jacke aus. Take your jacket off.

Changes to the definite and indefinite articles der, die or das and ein, eine or ein:
Case Masculine singular Feminine singular Neuter singular
Nominative der die das
ein eine ein
Accusative den die das
einen eine ein
Genitive des der des
eines einer eines
Dative dem der dem
einem einer einem

Forming plurals
The definite article in German changes in the plural:
Case Masculine Feminine Neuter singular All genders
singular singular plural
Nominative der die das die
Accusative den die das die
Genitive des der des der
Dative dem der dem den

NOTE: nouns in the dative plural always end in -n except nouns which come from other
languages. Most of their plural forms end in -s.
Mit den Autos hatte sie ständig The cars caused her constant problems.
Problem.

a. Feminine plural nouns ending in -n, en, -nen

Most German feminine nouns add -n, -en, -nen to their singular form.
Case Singular Plural
Nominative die Blume die Blumen
die Frau die Frauen
die Lehrerin die Lehrerinnen
Accusative die Blume die Blumen
die Frau die Frauen
die Lehrerin die Lehrerinnen
Genitive der Blume der Blumen
der Frau der Frauen
der Lehrerin der Lehrerinnen
Dative der Blume den Blumen
der Frau den Frauen
der Lehrerin den Lehrerinnen

b. Nouns with no ending in the plural

These are mostly masculine or neuter nouns ending in -en, -er, -el.
Case Singular Plural
Nominative der Kuchen die Kuchen
der Lehrer die Lehrer
der Onkel die Onkel
Accusative den Kuchen die Kuchen
den Lehrer die Lehrer
den Onkel die Onkel
Genitive des Kuchens der Kuchen
des Lehrers der Lehrer
des Onkels der Onkel
Dative dem Kuchen den Kuchen
dem Lehrer den Lehrern
dem Onkel den Onkeln

Some of these nouns have an umlaut added to the first vowel (a, o, u) in the plural.
Case Singular Plural
Nominative der Apfel die Äpfel
der Garten die Gärten
Accusative den Apfel die Äpfel
den Garten die Gärten
Genitive des Apfels der Äpfel
des Gartens der Gärten
Dative dem Apfel den Äpfeln
dem Garten den Gärten

c. Plural nouns ending in -e

Some masculine nouns add an umlaut above the first vowel (a, o, u) and an -e ending to form
the plural. A few feminine nouns with a in the stem also follow this pattern. Nouns in this
group often have one syllable only.
Case Singular Plural
Nominative der Stuhl die Stühle
die Angst die Ängste
Accusative den Stuhl die Stühle
die Angst die Ängste
Genitive des Stuhl(e)s der Stühle
der Angst der Ängste
Dative dem Stuhl den Stühlen
der Angst den Ängsten

d. Masculine and neuter plural nouns ending in -e, -er, or :-er

Masculine or neuter nouns often add -e, -er to form the plural
Case Singular Plural
Nominative das Geschenk die Geschenke
der Tisch die Tische
das Kind die Kinder
Accusative das Geschenk die Geschenke
den Tisch die Tische
das Kind die Kinder
Genitive des Geschenks der Geschenke
des Tisches der Tische
des Kindes der Kinder
Dative dem Geschenk den Geschenken
dem Tisch den Tischen
dem Kind den Kindern

Some masculine and neuter nouns add an umlaut about the first vowel (a, o, u) and an -er
ending to the plural.
Case Singular Plural
Nominative das Dach die Dächer
der Mann die Männer
Accusative das Dach die Dächer
den Mann die Männer
Genitive des Dach(e)s der Dächer
des Mannes der Männer
Dative dem Dach den Dächern
dem Mann den Männern

e. Some unusual plurals

Many of them are words from other languages, and form their plurals by commonly adding -s
Singular Meaning Plural
das Auto car die Autos
das Hotel hotel die Hotels
das Restaurant restaurant die Restaurants
das Baby baby die Babys
das Thema theme, topic, subject die Themen
das Drama drama die Dramen
das Risiko risk die Risiken
das Park park die Parks
der Chef boss, chief, head die Chefs
der Firma firm die Firmen

f. Plural versus singular

Some nouns are always plural in English but singular in German. These nouns are only used in
plural to denote more than one pair.
eine Brille glasses, spectacles
eine Schere scissors
eine Hose trousers
zwei Hosen two pairs of trousers

h. Nouns of measurement and quantity

These nouns usually remain singular even if preceded by a plural number.
Möchten Sie zwei Stück? Would you like two?
Ich wiege fünzig Kilo. I weigh five kilogams.

The substance they measure follows in the same case as the noun of quantity, and not the
genitive case as in English.
Er wollte zwei Kilo Kartoffeln. He wanted two kilos of potatoes.

Weak nouns
Declension – German nouns change according to their gender, case, number. Some masculine
nouns have weak declension – they end in -en or -n if the word ends in a vowel in every case
EXCEPT in the nominative. They follow the pattern below:
Case Singular Plural
Nominative der Junge die Jungen
Accusative den Jungen die Jungen
Genitive des Jungen der Jungen
Dative dem Jungen den Jungen

Weak masculine nouns include:

 Ending in -og(e) referring to men
Der Psychologe half ihm in The psychologist helped him
seiner Krise. through his crisis.
 Ending in -apf, -af, -oph
Der Paragraf umfasste 350 The paragraph was 350 words
Wörter. long.
 Ending in -ant
Der Diamant war sehr viel Gehld The diamond was worth a lot of
wert. money.
 Ending in -t referring to men
 Um Astronaut zu warden, muss You have you train for years to
man jahrelang trainieren. become an astronaut.
 Some other common masculine nouns
der Bauer farmer
der Chirurg surgeon
der Franzose Frenchman
der Kollege Colleague
der Mensch Human being
der Ochse Ox
der Spatz sparrow

The noun der Name follows the same pattern as der Junge except in the genitive singular,
where -ns is added instead of -n. Der Buchstabe (letter of alphabet), der Funke (spark), and der
Gedanke (thought) also follow the same pattern.
Case Singular Plural
Nominative der Name die Namen
Accusative den Name die Namen
Genitive des Namens der Namen
Dative dem Namen den Namen

Proper nouns
 Name of a person, place, organization, or thing and are always written with a capital
letter
Names of people and places only change in the genitive singular when they add -s, unless
preceded by definite article or a demonstrative adjective (this, that, these or those).
Annas Buch Anna’s book
Klaras Mantel Klara’s coat
die Werke Goethes Goethe’s works
der Untergang der Titanic The sinking of the Titanic

Proper nouns ending in -s, -sch, -ss, -ß, -x, -z, -tz, adding an extra -s for the genitive makes it
difficult to pronounce. This is avoided by using von + dative case.
das Buch von Hans Hans’s book
die Werke von Marx The works of Marx
die Freundin von Klaus Klaus’s girlfriend

Herr (Mr.) is always declined when part of a proper name.

an Herrn Schmidt To Mr Schmidt
Sehr geehrte Herren Dear Sirs

Surnames usually form plurals by adding -s. If the surname ends in -s, -sch, -ss, -ß, -x, -z, -tz,
they add -ens. They are often preceded by the definite article.
Die Schmidts haben uns szum Abendessen The Schmidts have invited us to dinner.
eingeladen.
Die Schultzens waren nict zu Hause. The Schultzes weren’t at home.
Articles
a. Different types of articles
The definite article: the, used to identify a particular thing or person
The indefinite article: a/an, some/any in the plural, used to refer to something unspecific or
something you do not really know about.

b. The definite particle

The definite article has many forms and depends on the:
 Gender (M, F, or N);
 Singular or plural; AND
 Case of the noun

The definite article changes for masculine, feminine, and neuter singular nouns (der, die, das).
The plural forms of the definite article are the same for all genders (die). The forms of the
definite article in each case:
Case Masculine Feminine Neuter singular All genders
singular Singular plural
Nominative der die das die
Accusative den die das die
Genitive des der des der
Dative dem der dem den

c. Using the definite article

It is usually used the same way as in English, but also used with abstract nouns (something
describing qualities, ideas, experiences) rather than something tangible.
Die Leben ist schön. Life is wonderful.
Die Zeit vergeht schnell. Time passes quickly.

However, these nouns are sometimes used without the article.

Es braucht Mut. It needs (some) courage.
Gibt es dort Leben? Is there (any) life there?

Definite articles are also used with the genitive case to show that something belongs to
someone.
die Jacke der Frau the woman’s jacket

Definite articles with the genitive case are usually not used if the noun is a proper name or
being used as one (name of person, place, organization, or thing).
Jans Auto Jan’s car
Muttis Auto Mom’s car

The definite article is occasionally used with proper names:

 To make the sex of the person or case clearer
Er hat es der Frau Kekilli He gave it to Frau Kekilli.
gegeben.
  Where an adjective is used before the proper name
Die alte Frau Schnorr ist Old Frau Schnorr has died.
gestorben.
 In certain informal situations or to emphasize something
Ich habe heute den Kevin I saw Kevin today.
gesehen.

The definite article is used in front of masculine and feminine countries and districts, but not
for neuter ones. They are also used when geographical names are preceded by an adjective.
Die Schweiz ist auch schön. Switzerland is also beautiful.
Deutschland ist sehr schön. Germany is very beautiful.
das heutige Deutschland Today’s Germany

The definite article is used with the names of seasons and meals.
Der Winter kommt bald. Soon it will be winter.
Im Hotel wird das Abendessen Dinner is served from eight o’clock in the
ab acht Uhr serviert. hotel.

There are certain expressions with meals where the definite article is not used.
Um acht Uhr ist Frühstück. Breakfast is at eight o’clock.

The definite article is used with names of roads and months of the year, except after the
prepositions seit, nach, vor.
Sie wohnt jetzt in der Geisener She lives in Geisener Road now.
Straße.
Der Dezember war ziemlich kalt. The December was quite cold.
Wir sind seit September hier. We have been here since September.

If talking about prices and want to say each, per, a, the definite article is used. It is also used in
certain common expressions.
Ich habe sechs Euro das Stück I paid six euros each.
bezahlt.
in die Stadt fahren To go into town
mit der Zug/Bus/Auto By train/bus/car

The definite article can also be used instead of a demonstrative adjective.

Du willst das Buch lesen! You want to read that book!

The definite article is left out of:

 Certain set expressions
von Beruf By profession
Nachrichten hören To listen to the news

d. Shortened forms of the definite article

After certain prepositions, the definite article can be shortened but avoid using when writing:
 Für das – fürs
Es ist fürs Baby. It’s for the baby.
  Vor dem – vorm
Es liegt vorm Haus. It’s lying in front of the house.
 Um das – ums
Es geht ums Geld. It’s a question of money.

The following shortened forms can be used in writing:

 An dem – am
Am 1. Mai fahren wir in die Ferien. We go on holiday on the 1st of May.
 In dem – im
Das Buch liegt im Haus. The book’s in the house.
 Zu dem – zum
Ich muz zum Bahnhof gehen. I have to go to the station.
 Zu der – zur
Sie geht jeden Tag zur Schule. She goes to school every day.

e. Words declined like the definite article

These words follow the same pattern:
Nominative Accusative Genitive Dative
Plural only alle alle aller allen
Singular beides beides beides beiden
Plural beide beide beider beiden
Singular dieser disen dieses/diesen diesem
diese diese dieser dieser
dieses dieses dieses/diesen diesem
Plural diese diese dieser diesen
Singular einiger einigen einiges/einigen einigem
einige einige einger einiger
einiges einiges einiges/einigen einigem
Plural einie einege einiger einigen
Singular jeder jeden jedes/jeden jedem
jede jede jeder jeder
jedes jedes jedes/jeden jedem
Plural jede jede jeder jeden
Singualr jener jenen jenes/jenen jenem
jene jene jener jener
jenes jenes jenes/jenen jenem
Plural jene jene jener jenen
Singular mancher manchen manches/manchen manchem
manche manche mancher mancher
manches manches manches/manchen manchem
Plural manche manche mancher manchen
Singular solcher solchen solches/solchen solchem
solche solche solcher solcher
solches solches solches/solchen solchem
Plural solche solche solcher solchen
Singular welcher welchen welches/welchen welchem
 welche welche welcher welcher
welches welches welches/welchen welchem
Plural welche welche welcher welchen

Dieser or jener are used to translate the English demonstrative adjectives (this, that, these,
and those).

 Alle, aller, allen (plural only) all, all of them

 Beide (plural only) both
 Dieser, diese, dieses this, this one, these
 Einiger, einige, einiges some, a few, a little
 Jeder, jede, jedes each, each one, every
 Jener, jene, jenes that, that one, those
 Mancher, manche, manches many a, some
 Solcher, solche, solches such, such a
 Welcher, welche, welches which, which one

Sämlitche (all, entire [usually plural]) and irgendwelcher (some or other) also follow the same
pattern.
Sie besitzt Tolkiens sämlitche She owns the complete works of Tolkien.
Werke.
Sind noch irgendwelche Reste Is there anything/still something left?
da?

The words listed above can be used as:

 Articles
Sie geht jeden Tag ins Büro. She goes to the office every day.
 Pronouns
Man kann ja nicht alles wissen. You can’t know everything.

Einiger, irgenwelcher end in -en in the genitive before masculine and neuter nouns
ending in -s.
Er musste wegziehen wegen He had to move away because
irgendwelchen Geredes. of some gossip.

Jeder, welcher, mancher, solcher can also do this or the usual -es ending.
Das Kind solcher Eltern wird The child of such parents will
Probleme haben. have problems.

 Solcher, beide, sämlitche can be used after another article of possessive adjective
(my, your, his, her, its, our, their).
Diese beiden Männer haben es Both of these men have seen it.
gesehen.
 Although beide has plural forms only, there is one singular form: beides. Beide refers
to both people and things while beides only refers to things.
Es gab zwei Bleistifte und er hat BUT
beide genommen.
 Es gab einen Bleistift und ein
Bild und er hat beides There was one pencil and one
genommen. picture and he took both.
There were two pencils and he
took both.

Note that beides is singular in German, but both is plural in English.

Beides ist richtig. Both are correct.

 Dies often replaces the nominative and accusative dieses, diese when used as a
pronoun.
Hast du dies schon gelesen? Have you already read this?
 alle has a fixed form – all – which is used together with other articles and possessive
pronouns.
Was machst du mit all diesem What are you doing with all this
Geld? money?
 Ganz can be used to replace alle, all and is declined like an adjective.
Sie ist mit dem ganzen Geld She disappeared with all the
verschwunden. money.
 Ganz must be used:
o in time phrases
Es hat den ganzen Tag It snowed the whole
geschneit. day long.
o when talking about geography
Im ganzen Land gab es There wasn’t a better
keinen besseren Wein. wine in the whole
country.
o with nouns referring to a collection of people or animals (collective nouns)
Die ganze Gesellschaft The entire company
war auf der was represented at
Versammlung the meeting.
vertreten.

 Derjenige/diejenige/dasjenige (the one, those) is declined in the same way as the

definite article (der) + a weak adjective
Case Masculine Feminine Neuter
Nominative derjenige Mann diejenige Frau dasjenige Kind
Accusative denjenigen Mann diejenige Frau dasjenige Kind
Genitive desjenigen Mann(e)s derjenigen Frau desjenigen Kind(e)s
Dative demjenigen Mann derjenigen Frau demjenigen Kind

 Derselbe/dieselbe/dasselbe (the same, the same one) is declined the same ay as

derjenige. After prepositions, the shortened forms of the definite article are used for
the appropriate parts of derselbe.
Zur selben (= zu derselben) Zeit
 Im selben (= in demselben) Zimmer
At the same time
In the same room

f. The indefinite article

The word chosen for a, some, any depends on if the noun is: masculine, feminine, neuter AND
singular or plural AND case of the noun. German indefinite article has no plural forms.
Case Masculine Feminine Neuter
Nominative ein eine ein
Accusative einen eine ein
Genitive eines einer eines
Dative einem einer einem

g. Using the indefinite article

Situations wherein the indefinite article is not used:
 Talking about someone’s job
Sie ist Ärztin. She’s a doctor.
 Talking about nationality or religion
Sie ist Deutsche. She’s (a) German.
Er ist Moslem. He’s (a) Muslim.

It is used when an adjective comes before the noun.

Sie ist eine sehr begabte She’s a very talented journalist.
journalistin.

 In certain fixed expressions

Es ist Geschmacksache. It’s a question of taste.
Tatsache ist … It’s a fact …
 After als (meaning as a)
Als Großmutter darf ich meine As a grandmother, I’m allowed
Enkel verwöhnen. to spoil my grandchildren.

h. The indefinite article in negative sentences

A separate negative form is used in German, which means no/not a/not one/not any.
Case Masculine Feminine Neuter singular All genders
singular singular plural
Nominative kein keine kein keine
Accusative keinen keine kein keine
Genitive keines keiner keines keiner
Dative keinem keiner keinem keinen

This negative form is still used even when the positive form does not have an article.\
Er hatte Angst davor. He was frightened.
Er hatte keine Angst davor. He wasn’t frightened.
The negative form is also used in many informal expressions. To emphasize ein, use nicht ein
instead of kein.
Nicht ein Kind hat es singen Not one child could sing it.
können.

i. Words declined like the indefinite article

Possessive adjectives (my, your, his, her, its, our, their) used with a noun to show that a person
or thing belongs to another. They follow the same pattern as ein and kein.
mein My
dein Your (singular familiar)
sein His/its
ihr Her/its
unser Our
euer Your (plural familiar)
ihr Their
Ihr Your (polite singular and plural)

Nominative Accusative Genitive Dative

Singular mein meinen meines meinem
meine meine meiner meiner
mein mein meines meinem
Plural meine meine meiner meinen
Singular dein deinen deines deinem
deine deine deiner deiner
dein dein deines deinem
Plural deine deine deiner deinen
Singular sein seinen seines seinem
seine seine seiner seiner
sein sein seines seinem
Plural seine seine seiner seinen
Singular ihr ihren ihres ihrem
ihre ihre ihrer ihrer
ihr ihr ihres ihrem
Plural ihre ihre ihrer ihren
Singular unser unseren unseres unserem
unsere unsere unserer unserer
unser unser unseres unserem
Plural unsere unsere unserer unseren
Singular euer euren eures eurem
eure eure eurer eurer
eures eures eures eurem
Plural eure eure eurer euren

Possessive adjectives are often followed by other adjectives in German sentences, which have
the same endings as the indefinite article. Irgendein (some … or other) and its plural form
irgendwelche also take these endings.
 Wo ist deine rote Jacke? Where is your red jacket?
Sie ist nur irgendeine alte Frau. She’s just some old woman or other.

Adjectives
a. Using adjectives
Adjectives in German usually change depending on whether the person or thing referred to is
masculine, feminine, or neuter, and singular or plural. It also depends on the case and if
preceded by definite or indefinite article.

German adjectives come BEFORE the noun they describe, but AFTER the verb in the sentence.
The only time the adjective does not agree with the word it describes is when it comes AFTER
the verb.
eine schwarze Katze A black cat
Das Buch ist neu. The book is new.

b. Making adjectives agree

i. The weak declension
Only the basic forms of the adjectives are shown in the dictionary. To make the adjective agree
with the noun, add one of the three sets of endings:
Case Masculine Feminine Neuter singular All genders
singular singular plural
Nominative -e -e -e -en
Accusative -en -e -e -en
Genitive -en -en -en -en
Dative -en -en -en -en

An example:
Case Masculine Feminine Neuter All genders plural
singular singular singular
Nominative der alte Mann die alte Frau das alte Haus die alten
Männer/Frauen/Häuser
Accusative den alten die alte Frau das alte Haus die alten
Mann Männer/Frauen/Häuser
Genitive des alten der alten Frau des alten der alten
Manns Hauses Männer/Frauen/Häuser
Dative dem alten der alten Frau dem alten den alten
Mann Haus Männer/Frauen/Häuser

ii. The mixed declension

These are endings used after ein, kein, irgendein, and the possessive adjectives.
Case Masculine Feminine Neuter singular All genders
singular singular plural
Nominative -er -e -es -en
Accusative -en -e -es -en
Genitive -en -en -en -en
Dative -en -en -en -en

An example:

Case Masculine Feminine Neuter All genders plural

singular singular singular
Nominative ein langer Weg eine lange ein langes Spiel ihre langen
Reise Wege/Reisen/Spiele
Accusative einen langen eine lange ein langes Spiel ihre langen
Weg Reise Wege/Reisen/Spiele
Genitive eines langen einer langen eines langen ihrer langen
Weg(e)s Reise Spiel(e)s Wege/Reisen/Spiele
Dative einem langen einer langen einem langen ihren langen
Weg Reise Spiel Wege/Reisen/Spiele

iii. The strong declension

Endings are used when there is no article before the noun

Case Masculine Feminine Neuter singular All genders

singular singular plural
Nominative -er -e -es -e
Accusative -en -e -es -e
Genitive -en -er -en -er
Dative -em -er -em -en

Case Masculine Feminine Neuter singular All genders plural

singular singular
Nominative guter Käse gute gutes Bier gute Käsesorten/
Marmelade Marmeladen/Biere
Accusative guten Käse gute gutes Bier gute Käsesorten/
Marmelade Marmeladen/Biere
Genitive guten Käses guter guten Bier(e)s guter Käsesorten/
Marmelade Marmeladen/Biere
Dative gutem Käse guter gutem Bier guten Käsesorten/
Marmelade Marmeladen/Biere

These endings allow the adjective to do the work of the missing article by showing the case,
plurality, and gender of the noun. the article is omitted often, especially when there are
preposition + adjective + noun combinations.
Nach kurzer Fahrt After a short journey we arrived in
kamen wir in Glasgow an. Glasgow.

Strong declension endings are also used after the following words when the noun they refer to
is not preceded by an article:
Word Meaning
ein bisschen a little, a bit of
ein wenig a little
ein paar a few, a couple
weniger fewer, less
einige (plural forms only) some
etwas some, any (singular)
mehr more
lauter nothing but, sheer, pure
solch such
was für what, what kind of
viel much, many, a lot of
welch … ! what …! What a …!
manch many a
wenig little, few, not much
zwei, drei, etc two, three etc

With wenig and numbers from zwei onwards, adjectives behave:

 Strong when there is no article
Zwei kleine Jungen kamen die Two small boys came along the
Straße entland. street.
 Weak when definite article comes first
Die zwei kleinen Jungen, die The two small boys who came
Straße entlangkamen. along the street.
 Mixed when a possessive adjective comes first
Meine zwei kleinen Jungen sind My two small sons are cheeky
manchmal frech. sometimes.

Strong declension endings are also used after possessives where no other word shows the
case, plurality, and gender of the noun.
Mutters neuer Computer sieht Mother’s new computer looks great.
toll aus.

When various endings are added to adjectives, some spellings change.

 When endings are added to hoch (high), it changes to hoh.
Das Gebäude ist hoch. The building is high.
Das ist ein hohes Gebäude. That is a high building.
 Adjectives ending in -el lose the -e when endings are added.
Das Zimmer ist dunkel. The room is dark.
Man sieht nichts in dem dunklen You can’t see anything in the
Zimmer. dark room.
 Adjectives ending in -er lose the -e when endings are added.
Das Auto war teuer. The car was expensive.
Sie kaufte ein teures Auto. She bought an expensive car.
iv. Participles as adjectives
Add -d to the infinitive of the verb, forming the present participle which may be used as an
adjective with the usual endings. Present participles of sein, haben cannot be used like this.
Auf dem Tisch stand ein Foto There was a photo of a laughing child on
von einem lachenden Kind. the table.

The past participle of a verb can also be used as an adjective.

Meine Mutter hat meine My mother found my lost things.
verlorenen Sachen gefunden.

v. Adjectives preceded by the dative case

 ähnlich similar to
Er ist seinem Vater sehr ähnlich. He’s very like his father
 bekannt familiar to
Sie kommt mir bekannt vor. She seems familiar to me.
 dankbar grateful to
Ich bin dir sehr dankbar. I’m very grateful to you.
 fremd strange, alien to
Das ist mir fremd. That’s alien to me.
 gleich all the same to/like
Es ist mir gleich. It’s all the same to me.
 leicht easy for
Du machst es dir wirklich zu leicht. You really make things too easy for yourself.
 nah(e) close to
Unser Haus ist nahe der Universität. Our house is near the university.
 peinlich embarrassing for
Das war ihr aber peinlich. She was really embarassed.
 unbekannt unknown to
Das wir unbekannt. I didn’t know that.

c. Adjectives used as nouns

Called adjectival nouns, they are adjectives used as nouns and participles used as adjectives
have the following characteristics:
 capital letter like other nouns
Der neue Angestellte ist früh The new employee arrived early.
angekommen.
 weak, strong, or mixed endings depending on which article that comes before them
Sie ist die neue Angestellte. She is the new employee.
Das Gute daran ist, dass ich The good thing about it is that
mehr verdiene. I’m earning more.

d. Some other points about adjectives

i. Adjectives describing nationality
 not spelt with capital letter except in public or official names
 Das französische Volk war The people of France were
entsetzt. horrified.
BUT
Die Deutsche Bann hat Erfolg. The German railways are
successful.
 capital letter is used when they are used as nouns to refer to a language
Sie sprechen kein Englisch. They don’t speak English.
 for expressions like he is English/he is German etc., a noun or adjectival noun is used
instead of an adjective
Er/Sie ist Deutscher. He/she is German.

ii. Adjectives taken from place names

 formed by adding -er to the names of towns; don’t change by adding endings to
show case
Kölner, Frankfurter, Berliner, From Cologne, Frankfurt, Berlin,
etc. etc.
Der Kölner Dom ist wirklich Cologne cathedral is really
beeindruckend. impressive.
 Adjectives from die Schweiz (Switzerland), and some other regions is formed this way
Schweizer Käse mag ich gern. I really like Swiss cheese.
 Can be used as nouns denoting inhabitants of a town, taking the same endings as
normal nouns
Die Sprache des Kölners heißt People from Cologne speak
Kölsch. Kölsch.
Die Entscheidung wurde von de People from Frankfurt
Frankfurten begrüsst. welcomed the decision.

Feminine form of such nouns is formed by adding -in in the singular and -innen in the
plural.
Christine, die Londonerin war, Christine, who was from
wollte nach Glasgow ziehen. London, wanted to move to
Glasgow.

e. Comparatives of adjectives
To say something is easier, add -er to the simple form of most adjectives.
einfach to einfacher

Adjectives whose simple form ends in -en/-er may drop the final -e to form the comparative.
teuer to teurer

To introduce the person or thing making the comparison with, use als (meaning than).
Er ist kleiner als seine He is smaller than his sister.
Schwester.

To say that something or someone is as … as something or something else, use so … wie or

genauso … wie to make it more emphatic. To say not as … as, use nicht so … wie.
 Sie ist so gut wie ihr Bruder. She is as good as her brother.

Some common examples:

Adjective Meaning Comparative Meaning
alt old älter older
stark strong starker stronger
schwach weak schwächer weaker
scharf sharp schärfer sharper
lang long länger longer
kurz short kürzer shorter
warm warm warmer warmer
kalt cold kälter colder
hart hard härter harder
groß big größer bigger

Adjectives whose simple form ends in -el lose the -e before adding the comparative ending -er.
eitel to eitler (vain to vainer)

When used before a noun, comparative forms take the same weak, strong, or mixed endings
as their simple forms.
Die jüngere Schwester ist größer The younger sister is bigger than the older
als die ältere. one.

Some adjectives may be used to translate the idea or -ish or rather.

Comparative Meaning
älter elderly
dünner thinnish
dicker fattish
größer largish
jünger youngish
Kleiner smallish
kürzer shortish
neuer newish

f. Superlatives of adjectives
To say that something is the easiest, etc., add -st to the simple form of the adjective. Vowel
may change. Superlative forms are generally used with the definite article and take same weak
endings as their simple forms.
Deine Hausaufgaben waren die Your homework was the easiest.
einfachsten.

Adjectives ending in -t, -tz, -z, -sch, -ss, -ß form the superlative by adding -est instead of -st.
Der/die/das schlechteste The worst
Der/die/das schmerzhafteste The most painful
Der/die/das süßesten The sweetest
Der/die/das stolzeste The proudest
 Der/die/das frischeste The freshest

Adjectives ending in -eu, -au also add -est to form the superlative.
Der/die/das neueste The newest/latest
Der/die/das schlaueste The cleverest

English superlative most (very) can be expressed in German by any of the following:
Superlative Meaning
äußerst extremely
sehr very
besonders especially
außerordentlich exceptionally
höchst extremely (not used with words of one syllable)
furchtbar terribly (only used in conversation)
richtig really/most (only used in conversation)

German also has a few irregular forms of adjectives.

Adjective Meaning Comparative Meaning Superlative Meaning
gut good besser better der beste the best
hoch high höher higher der höchste the highest
viel much/a lot mehr more der meiste the most
nah near näher nearer der nächste the nearest

Adverbs
a. How adverbs are used
Adverbs are used together with:
 Verbs
 Adjectives
 Other adverbs

Adverbs can also relate to the whole sentence, telling what the speaker is thinking or feeling.

b. How adverbs are formed

 Most German adverbs used to comment on verbs are simply adjectives used as
adverbs. They do not change by adding different endings.
Habe ich das richtig gehört? Did I hear that correctly?
Er war schick angezogen. He was stylishly dressed.
 Some adverbs which do not directly comment on the verb are formed by adding -
weise, -sweise to a noun.
Noun Meaning Adverb Meaning
das Beispiel example beispielsweise for example
die Beziehing relation, connection beziehungsweise or/or rather/that is
to say
der Schritt step schristtweise step by step
die Zeit time zeitweise at times
der Zwang compulsion zwangsweise compulsorily

Some adverbs are formed by adding -erweise to an uninflected adjective. These are
mainly used by the person speaking to express an opinion.
Adjective Meaning Adverb Meaning
estaunlich astonishing estaunlicherweise astonishingly enough
glücklich happy, fortunate glücklicherweise fortunately
komisch strange, funny komischerweise strangely enough

 Another important group of adverbs are NOT formed from adjectives or nouns.
Die Schlafzimmer sind oben. The bedrooms are upstairs.
Ich kann leider nicht kommen. Unfortunately I can’t come.
 Adverbs of time fit into the previous category:
Adverb of time Meaning
endlich finally
heute today
immer always
morgen tomorrow
morgens in the mornings
sofort at once

 Adverbs often express the idea of ‘to what extent.’ Words like extremely and
especially are called adverbs of degree.
Adverb of degree Meaning
äußerst extremely
besonders especially
beträchtlich considerably
fast almost
kaum hardly, scarcely
ziemlich fairly

c. Adverbs of place
When there is no movement involved and the adverb is simply referring to a location, use the
adverb form found in the dictionary.
Wo ist sie? Where is she?
Hier darf man nicht parken. You can’t park here.

To show movement AWAY from the person speaking, use hin.

Oliver und Andrea geben heute Oliver and Andrea are having a party
eine Party. Gehen wir hin? today. Shall we go?

In German, hin is often added to another adverb to create compound adverbs, which show
there is some movement involved.

Compound adverb Meaning

dahin (to) there
dorthin there
hierhin here
irgendwohin (to) somewhere or other
überallhin everywhere
wohin? where (to)?

To show movement TOWARDS the person speaking, use her. Same with hin, this is added to
another adverb.

Compound adverb Meaning

daher from there
hierher here
irgendwoher from somewhere or other
überallher from all over
woher where from?

d. Comparatives and superlatives of adverbs

i. Comparative adverbs
 Comparative of adverbs are formed the same way as adjectives, adding -er to the
basic form. Als is used for than.
Sie läuft schneller als ihr Bruder. She runs faster than her
brother.
 To make as … as or not as … as comparisons, use the same phrases as adjectives.
so … wie as … as
Er läuft so schnell wie sein He runs as fast as his brother.
Bruder.
nicht so … wie not as … as
Sie kann nicht so gut She can’t swim as well as you.
schwimmen wie du.
 The idea of more and more … is expressed by using immer + comparative form.
Die Männer sprachen immer The men were talking louder
lauter. and louder.
 The more … the more … is expressed by je … desto … or je … umso ….
Je schneller sie fährt, umso The faster she drives, the more
mehr Angst habe ich! frightened I am!

ii. Superlative adverbs

 Formed and not declined like adjectives: am + adverb + -sten
Wer von ihnen arbeitet am Which of them works fastest?
schenellsten?
 Adverbs ending in -d, -t, -tz, -z, -sch, -ss, -ß form the superlative by adding -esten.
Das Erdbeereis war bei den The strawberry ice cream was
Kindern am beliebtesten. the most popular one with the
kids.
 Some superlative adverbs used to show the extent of a quality rather than a
comparison:
Adverb Meaning
bestens very well
höchstens at the most/at best
moistens mostly/most often
spätestens at the latest
wenigstens at least

iii. Adverbs with irregular comparatives and superlatives

Adverb Meaning Comparative Meaning Superlative Meaning
gern well Lieber better am liebsten best
bald soon eher sooner am ehesten soonest
viel much, a lot mehr more am moisten most

e. Word order with adverbs

In German, adverbs are placed close to the word to which they refer.
 Adverbs of time come first in a sentence but is not fixed.
Morgen gehen wir ins Theater. We’re going to the theatre
OR: Wir gehen morgen ins tomorrow.
Theater.
 Adverbs of place can be put at the beginning of a sentence to provide emphasis.
Dort haben sie Fußball gespielt. They played football there.
ODER: Sie haben dort Fußball
gespielt.
 Adverbs or manner are adverbs that comment on verbs. They likely come after the
verb they refer to. Tenses made up of haben, sein + past participle of main verb, they
come immediately before the past participle.
Sie spielen gut. They play well.
Sie haben heute gut gespielt. They played well today.
Du benimmst dich immer You always behave badly.
schlecht.
Du hast dich schlecht You have behaved badly.
benommen.
 If there is more than one adverb in a sentence, remember the rule: time, manner,
place.
Wir haben gestern gut dorthin We found our way there all right
gefunden. yesterday.
Gestern – time Dorthin - place
Gut – manner
 When there is a pronoun object (her, it, me, etc.), it comes before all adverbs.
Sie habe es gestern sehr billig They bought it very cheaply
gekauft. yesterday.
Es = pronoun object Billig = manner
Gestern = time
f. Emphasizers
Most common emphasizers (emphasize or change the meaning of a sentence):
 Aber – emphasis to a statement
Das ist aber schön! Oh, that’s pretty!
Diese Jacke ist aber teuer! This jacket is really expensive!
 Denn – used as conjunction, but also to emphasize meaning
Was ist den hier los? What’s going on here then?
Wo denn? Where?
 Doch – (1) positive reply to a negative statement or question, (2) strengthen an
imperative, (3) make a question out of a statement
Hat es dir nicht gefallen? Doch! Didn’t you like it? Oh yes, I did!
Lass ihn doch! Just leave him.
Das schaffst du doch? You’ll manage it, won’t you?
 Mal – (1) with imperatives, (2) informal language
Komm mal her! Come here!
Moment mal, bitte! Just a minute!
Mal sehen. We’ll see.
Hören Sie mal … Look here now …
Er soll es nur mal versuchen! Just let him try it!
 Ja – (1) strengthen a statement, (2) informal language
Er sieht ja wie seine Mutter aus. He looks like his mother.
Das kann ja sein. That may well be.
Ja und? So what?/What then?
Das ist ja lächerlich. That’s ridiculous.
Das ist es ja. That’s just it.
 Schon – (1) used informally with an imperative, (2) other informal statements
Mach schon!
Da kommt sie schon wieder! Here she comes again!
Schon gut. Ich habe verstanden, Okay, I get the message.
Get on with it!

Pronouns
Several types of pronouns:
 Personal pronouns: refer to yourself, person talking to, or other people and things (I,
you, he, her, they, etc). Can either be subject pronouns (I, you, he, etc.) or object
pronouns (him, her, them, etc.).
 Possessive pronouns: show who someone or something belongs to (mine, yours).
 Indefinite pronouns: refer to people or things in a general way without exactly
saying who or what they are (someone, nothing).
 Relative pronouns: link two parts of a sentence together (who, which, that).
 Demonstrative pronouns: point things or people out (this, those).
 Reflexive pronouns: type of object pronoun that forms part of German reflexive
verbs like sich setzen (to sit down) or sich waschen (to wash)
 Pronouns wer? (who?) and was? (what?) and there different forms are used to ask
questions.
Pronouns stand in for a noun to not repeat it. Word order with personal pronouns is usually
different in German and English.

a. Personal pronouns: subject

Words like I, he, she, they that refer to a person or thing performing the action expressed by
the verb.

i. Using subject pronouns

Subject Pronoun (Nominative Case) Meaning
ich I
du you (familiar)
er he/it
sie she/it
es it/he/she
man one
wir we
ihr you (plural)
sie they
Sie you (polite)

ii. du, ihr, or Sie?

 Du: used if talking to one person you know well
 Sie: used if talking to one person/more than one person you do not know well
 Ihr: used if taking to more than one person you know well

If in doubt, it is safest to use Sie to not offend anybody. Once a colleague or acquaintance has
suggested to call each other du, it is insulting to use Sie again. All subject pronouns only have a
capital letter when they begin the sentence, except for Sie which is always in capital.

iii. Er/sie/es
Use er for masculine nouns, sie for feminine nouns, and es for neuter nouns. It does not
matter if they are objects or living things, it depends on the gender of the noun. In plural, sie is
used regardless of the gender of the noun.

iv. Man
This is used in German the same way you in English is used to mean people in general.
Wie schreibt man das? How do you spell that?
Man kann nie wissen. You never know.

Man can also mean they used in a vague way.

Man sagt, dass das Wetter They say the weather is always bad.
immer schlecht ist.

Man is often used to avoid a passive construction in German.

 Man hat das schon oft in It’s already been shown a lot on TV.
Fernsehen gezeigt.

The form of the verb used with man is the same as er/sie/es form.

b. Personal pronouns: direct object

words like me, him, us, them used to stand in for the person or thing most directly affected by
the action expressed by the verb.

i. Using direct object pronouns

They are used to stand in for nouns when it is clear who or what is being talked about.
Direct Object Pronoun (Accusative Case) Meaning
mich me
dich you (familiar)
ihn him/it
sie her/it
es it/him/her
einen one
uns us
euch you (plural)
sie them
Sie you (polite)

Ich lade dich zum Essen ein. I’ll invite you for a meal.
Sie hat ihn letztes Jahr She met him last year.
kennengelernt.

ii. Word order with direct object pronouns

 In tenses consisting of one verb part ONLY, it comes directly AFTER the verb.
Sie bringen ihn nach Hause. They’ll take him home.
 In tenses such as the perfect formed with haben/sein and the past participle, the
pronoun comes AFTER the part of the verb that comes from haben/sein and BEFORE
the past participle.
Er hat mich durchs Fenster He saw me through the window.
gesehen.
 Modal verbs like wollen (to want) or können (to be able to, can) is followed by
another verb in the infinitive, the pronoun comes directly AFTER the modal verb.
Wir wollen Sie nicht mehr We don’t want to see you
sehen. anymore.

c. Personal pronouns: indirect object

When a verb has two objects (direct, indirect), the indirect object pronoun is used to show the
person or thing the action is intended to benefit or harm.
i. Using indirect object pronouns
 An indirect object answers the questions who to, who for? And to what, for what?
 If the question asked is what or who? Then it is a direct object and not the indirect
object

Indirect Object Pronoun (Dative Case) Meaning

mir to/for me
dir to/for you (familiar)
ihm to/for him/it
ihr to/for her/it
ihm to/for it/him/her
einem to/for one
uns to/for us
euch to/for you (plural)
ihnen to/for them
Ihnen to/for you (polite)

Er hat mir das geschenkt. He gave me that as a present.

Sie haben ihnen eine tolle They told them a great story.
Geschichte erzählt.

ii. Word order with direct object pronouns

 Word order for indirect object pronouns is the SAME as for direct object pronouns.
Pronoun usually comes directly after the verb, except with perfect tenses and modal
verbs.
 When you have both a direct object pronoun AND indirect object pronoun, the direct
object pronoun/personal pronoun in the accusative always comes first.
PAD = Pronoun Accusative Dative

Sie haben es ihm verziehen. They forgave him for it.

Ich bringe es dir schon bei. I’ll teach you.

d. Personal pronouns: after prepositions

When a personal pronoun is used after a preposition and refers to a person, it is always in the
case required by the preposition. The preposition mit is always followed by the dative case.
Ich bin mit ihm spazieren gegangen.
I went for a walk with him.

When a thing is referred to, da- is added at the beginning of the preposition.
Lege es bitte darauf. Put it there please.

Preposition Preposition + da/dar

an daran
auf darauf
aus daraus
bei dabei
durch dadurch
für dafür
in darin
mit damit
nach danach
neben daneben
über darüber
unter darunter
zwischen dazwischen

These may also be used after verbs followed by prepositions.

Sich erinnern an + accusative To remember
case =
Ich erinnere mich nicht daran. I don’t remember (it).

After certain prepositions used to express movement, aus (out/from), auf (on), in (in/into),
combined forms with hin/her are used to give more emphasis to the action carried out.
Preposition hin/her + preposition
aus hinaus/heraus
auf hinauf/herauf
in hinein/herein

e. Possessive pronouns
One of the words (mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs) used to show that one thing or person
belongs to another.

German possessive nouns are the same as possessive adjectives (mein, dein, sein, ihr, unser,
euer, ihr, Ihr) with the same endings except in the

f. Indefinite pronouns

g. Reflexive pronouns

h. Relative pronouns

i. Interrogative pronouns
Verbs
Weak, strong, and mixed verbs
The present tense
Reflexive verbs
The imperative
Verb prefixes in the present tense
The perfect tense
The imperfect tense
The future tense
The conditional
The pluperfect tense
The subjunctive
The infinitive
Modal verbs
Impersonal verbs
There is/there are
Use of “es” as an anticipatory object
Verbs followed by prepositions
Verbs followed by the dative case
The passive

Prepositions
Using prepositions

Conjunctions
Coordinating conjunctions
Coordination conjunctions with two parts
Subordinating conjunctions

Word order

Negatives

Questions
How to ask a question in German

Numbers
Time and date

Some common difficulties

General problems
Specific problems

Alphabet

Verb tables

Verb index